Barb Wire Fences Are Easy to Climb Over
by hullosweetpea
Summary: ..but only with proper motivation. The maple had some beautiful leaves and Cas couldn't resist a little peek. He should have stopped when he couldn't get over the fence. And he most definitely should have stopped when the man on the horse rode up. Cas's day has certainly taken a turn. #Writing Prompt Wednesday
**A/N: I'm working backwards on Writing Prompt Wednesday prompts, so here is the first prompt. The theme was "Peeping". Here was my prompt: OMG THIS MAPLE HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LEAVES EVER and crap I'm sorry I didn't mean to trespass on your property BUT HAVE YOU SEEN THESE LEAVES? AU**

Barb Wire Fences Are Easy to Climb Over

Cas hadn't even wanted this much land, but he wanted a new start and Gabriel was paying for it. He was now the owner of 10 acres of land he didn't know what to use for beyond the ducks he had purchased to keep him company. It was mid fall as he went out to feed his ducks, some in various stage of molt. They had been curious little things and the young ones loved to follow him around. He put the feed bucket back in the shed and he glanced out at the horizon. It was a beautiful day with a sluggish breeze. Inhaling the crisp air he decided to see how far exactly his property stretched.

He knew his pocket of paradise was surrounded by land owned by the Winchesters, but he had never seen any of them, but gossip he gathered from the small town nearest to him informed him the land had been passed on from the elder Winchester to his oldest son just a few months before Cas had moved in. The ground was uneven and dry as he walked, his crunchy footsteps scaring away plump rabbits and flittering birds. The grass this far out from his lawn was tall and grain like. Out in the distance he saw the lines of barb wire fence that separated the properties. At the corner post, a river emptied out into a small pond, but the thing that caught Cas's eye was the massive maple tree just at the base. The thick branches spread far on all sides and large leaves still clung to the tiny, twig sized branches. A delicate wrought iron and wood bench was snug at the base, a few fallen leaves resting on the seat.

With its red and orange leaves consuming the boughs, the firestorm in the middle of the one shade landscape intrigued him. Cas walked towards it, stopping at the fence to admire its beauty. The other side looked so peaceful with the cheerful tree, lazy pond, and inviting bench. It was a foolish idea, but his ducks were fed and he didn't have other plans. Besides, the chances of anyone finding out was slim in the middle of nowhere.

He stared at the fence, three lines of sharp, twisted points looked right back at him. The fence was only up to his chest, but the main challenge was getting over. There was no way he would be able to wriggle through the separate lines, so his only hope was to climb over the top. He glanced back at the corner post. The solid pipe stuck in the ground connected the two lines of fence at the corner. Extending from it were two short pipe fencing connecting the barb wire to the corner post. It was also the only place Cas could cross over at and not tear up his clothes. He braced his feet on the bottom pipe fencing and hauled himself up and over, careful of making sure nothing snagged the tips of the barb wire. His feet landed solidly on the other side, crunching twigs underfoot. He smiled at his accomplishment and ambled over to the bench, sitting down heavily on the seat.

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back a bit to relax. The late afternoon sun was hanging low in the sky and when he opened his eyes again he was amazed at the way the color from the leaves turned brighter. The clinking of metal and thunder of heavy hooves announced the arrival of another, spurring Cas into action. He bolted from the bench to the corner post where he had climbed over and hurriedly threw his leg across the top pipe. As he lifted his other leg up, he was met with some resistance, and without thinking about it pulled with all his might. The knee of his jeans got on the tip of the barb wire and ran a clean cut path snag down to the cuff. He groaned, knowing these jeans were done for, even after his careful planning.

"You lost?"

Cas looked up to see a green eyed man astride a tan horse. "Excuse me?"

The man clucked softly and nudged the reins so the horse would move closer to the fence. "'Cause if you aren't lost, you're trespassing."

He blushed. He had been found out and now the man on the horse was almost face to face with him. "I'm sorry. It's just you have a beautiful maple and I wanted to see it up close. I didn't mean to intrude."

The man put up his hands. "Hey, you just got to promise me that you won't do it again. I don't know what I can say about the new guy though." The horse snorted and shifted its hooves. "Unless, you _are_ the new guy."

"Um, yes. I'm Castiel."

The other man looked him up and down. "Well Cas, looks like you've gotten caught. Need a hand?"

"No, no. I'm perfectly capable of getting down on my own. Just leave me here to pick up my dignity in peace."

The man cracked a smile. "Why don't you hop on back? Zeppelin doesn't mind double. Besides, I've got to get to know my neighbor."

Cas stared apprehensively at the bare back behind the saddle. "Are you sure it's safe?"

He gripped the reins in one hand and extended his hand out towards Cas. "Grab my hand for balance and swing on." Cas twisted his body so it was facing the right way to slide onto the back of the horse from the fence and used the other man's hand to balance, maneuvered from the fence to the sweaty back of the horse. The man turned around to grin. "See? Not that hard at all. Just hold on to the back of the saddle; we won't go too fast right now."

Cas clutched the lip of the saddle and became aware of the close proximity to his neighbor. "So, I assume you're a Winchester, but what's your name?"

"The name's Dean."

Sitting on the far back meant that Cas could feel every step the horse was taking as it plodded along. "Oh. To be honest I haven't ventured out much. I was told the oldest Winchester took over the property from their father."

"That would be me. Sammy works with me too, but he's up at the house. I was checking fence when I saw you sprawling to get over in time."

"I do apologize for that."

"No harm no foul. I'd rather you use the driveway instead of fence hopping."

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Was that an open invitation?"

Dean turned his head to look back at Cas. "If you want it to be. I'd like to get to know you. Sam and I can feel pretty disconnected all the way out here and since he got himself a gal I haven't seen him around much. Plus, you're an improvement on the last people who owned that land."

"Who used to own it? I didn't buy the property myself, nor have I asked around."

"A bastard by the name of Alistair did. He used to beat the shit out of his horses. Of course none of us knew until he was found with his head smashed in and the two geldings were found hobbling down the road. We would have bought the property up, but we weren't in town when it all went down. We came back about two weeks after everything happened. I spent most of my day in the Roadhouse catching up on the gossip, wishing I had been here."

Cas rested a hand on Zeppelin's hip and stroked his fingers through the horse's hair. "That's horrible."

"It was. I'm glad to see him gone." Dean turned around and to face Cas. "But I don't want to talk about that. You okay if I get Zeppelin going faster?"

"Uh, sure."

He smiled and gripped the reins. "Then hold on tight." Cas wrapped his arms around him and leaned his chest against his back. Dean squeezed his feet into Zeppelin's sides and he galloped off. Cas was smiling as they sped past a pasture filled with grazing cows and a long section of trees. Off in the horizon a house and a barn appeared and Dean pulled back gently on the reins to slow Zeppelin down. The horse trotted inside the barn and stopped near the center. Dean slid off the saddle and then held his hand out to help maneuver Cas off the back of the horse. His ass was damp from the horse's sweat and he felt like he was walking with his legs stretched far out. Dean pulled the saddle and blanket off and sat them over a fence. "If you want you can go up to house."

Cas walked around to the front of Zeppelin and petted his velvet nose. "I don't mind waiting."

Dean grinned before ducking down and grabbing a curry comb. Cas ran his fingers down the bridge of the horse's nose, watching Dean carefully out of his peripheral. Zeppelin nickered and nudged at Cas's shoulder. "He likes you," said Dean.

"Is he the only one?"

Dean turned around and stood up to face Cas. "No," he replied with a smile.

Cas beamed. "Good."


End file.
